How to Make Almond Milk at Home?

Recently I have read and heard information that most of the milk sold in the supermarkets is not of best quality and often it does not provide you with the nutrition bio-milk provides you with. Some of the low-fat cow milk as well as the packaged almond and soya milks might contain artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame or others that are said to have negative effects. 

Benefits of Almond Milk

Almond milk is a very nutritions product that can be a substitute to cow milk. Therefore, it is a very good as part of a vegan diet. It contains protein and unsaturated fats.

Because of the unsaturated fat, almond milk does not raise cholesterol levels and reduces the risk of heart problems. Because of its content of omega-3 fatty acids, it helps to lower bad cholesterol. 

Apart from that, almond milk is high in mineral and vitamins, which makes it a very healthy choice.

Compared to the cow milk, almond milk is lower in fats and calories, so it is recommended if you aim to loose weight.

Who should NOT drink almond milk?

You should not drink almond milk if you have any nut allergies.

It should not be given to infants who need breastfeeding. It cannot substitute the nutrition that breastfeeding gives and it might develop nut allergies in the infants.

How to make it?

1. Soak the amount of almonds you would like in water for overnight (at least 6 hours). Do not use too much almond if you do not think you would drink it in 3 days (this is how long it stays fresh). Try with just one cup.
2. Drain the almonds.
3. Put them in a blender
4. Add water; ratio 2:1 water:almonds (so for a cup of almonds - two cups of water)
5. Sweeten it up with 1 date, vanilla and coconut sprinkles. 
6. Blend until you have a smooth white foamy liquid 
7. Separate the almond skin from the liquid with a drainer (you can also use a cloth)

Keep the leftover from the almond skin and use it for various purposes as you would like - in your breakfast, for baking, etc. 

Nutrition Facts

Almond milk (raw) Nutrition Facts	Per 1 cup
Calories	115.6
Total fat	10.1 g
Saturated fat	0.8 g
Polyunsaturated fat	2.4 g
Monounsaturated fat	6.4 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	0.2 mg
Potassium	145.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate	3.9 g
Dietary fiber	2.4 g
Sugar	1 g
Protein	4.3 g
Vitamin B-6	1.3 %
Vitamin E	26.0 %
Calcium	5.0 %
Magnesium	13.8 %
Zinc	4.5 %
Copper	11.1 %
Iron	4.8 %

Source:

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/calories/almond-milk-nutritional-facts.html#b

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/almond-milk-nutrition-facts.html

Knowledge of Super Foods: Bulgur

There is a group of foods that you will often meet to be called 'Super Foods'. These super foods are called like this because they have numerous healthy benefits for your body and are super healthy! These foods are often grains or some kinds of seeds and have been eaten by our predecessors many years ago when civilization had nothing to do with how we know it today, even in BC times. So from back then until today, the Super Foods have not changed. Today, I will introduce you to one of them...

Bulgur is an ancient grain coming from the Middle East and comes from durum wheat , which is high in protein and very low in gluten. The durum wheat been cooked and dried before it becomes bulgur.

Interesting Fact: Most of the pasta in Italy is made only from durum wheat.

Bulgur is similar to rice on the way it looks, only that it grains are a little smaller, more rounded and yellowish.

Note: Anyhow, just as the rice, it doubles in size when you cook it, so keep that in mind when you are cooking.

Can be found in biological stores or Turkish supermarkets close to you.

Benefits

Bulgur is very rich in fiber (4,5g per 100gr), which helps to lower the levels of the bad cholesterol so is a good way to balance your diet with it after "cheating" with fatty foods. Dietary fiber is also good for the digestive track and facilitates the digestive processes.

Bulgur is totally suitable for vegans, vegetarians an omnivores because it gives high-quality protein for a balanced diet.

Also, because of the high content of low fat protein and dietary fiber, it is often a great addition to a low-calorie diet to help weight loss. And it easily fills you up.

Bulgur is rich in potassium, magnesium, magnesium and Vitamin B6. 

Interesting Fact: One cup of bulgur contains less fat and less calories, and has more than twice the fiber of brown rice.

Nutrition facts

Bulgur (cooked) Nutrition Facts	Per 100gr
Calories	83
Total fat	0.2 g
Saturated fat	0 g
Polyunsaturated fat	0.1 g
Monounsaturated fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	5 mg
Potassium	68 mg
Total Carbohydrate	19 g
Dietary fiber	4.5 g
Sugar	0.1 g
Protein	3.1 g
Vitamin B-6	5%
Magnesium	8%
Iron	5%

Recipe

for 2 - 3 servings:
1 cup Bulgur
2 x tomatoes
2 x boiled eggs
2 x small spring onions
50gr white cheese
Some parsley to top up

Before you cook the bulgur, leave it in water for 20 mins and it will already starting growing in size. Leave out the water, and place it in a pan with water on the same level as the bulgur. Cook for 10 minutes. Get out the water left and mix with the rest of the ingredients.Season as you like. (The only salt we recommend is Himalayan!)

Sources:

http://growyourfamilystrong.com/superfoods/whole-grain-superfoods/bulgur/
https://www.liporidex.com/teamliporidex/entry/high-protein-superfood-bulgur-wheat-and-tasty-too
http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/natural-foods/natural-weight-loss-food-bulgur-ga.htm

The 7 Wonders of Watermelon

At the very middle of this extremely hot summer season I have been eating quite a lot of watermelon since it feels like water with wonderful taste. So, I got interested - is the watermelon actually only water with a nice taste or does it have more benefits? Guess, what? It has a lot of benefits... read on..

1. Anti-oxidant - 100 gr of watermelon contain 19% of the daily dose of Vitamin A. The vitamin is a great anti-oxidant that strengthens your immune system. It is also rich in other anti-oxidants. 
2. Vitamin C - same as Vitamin A, it helps the immune system and it also gives you energy
3. Good for the heart - as a source of potassium, watermelon helps blood pressure and improves heart rate - important while the summer heat is still on.
4. Protein in the seeds - it is said that 24 seeds contain 1 gr of protein. So just keep in mind that you are intaking at least some of your daily dose while eating this fruit. The seeds also contain iron and zinc the levels of which build up over time. 
5. Eat as much as you can !! - Watermelon is very low in calories and easily kills the hunger
6. Summer thirst killer!! - The fruit is very high in water content
7. Weight loss buddy - because of the last points, watermelon is also perfect if you are aiming to lose weight.

Did you know that the watermelon is a relative to plants such as squash and pumpkin?!

     Nutrition values per 100 gr:

     30 calories from which:

     26.7 carbs (from natural sugars and dietary fiber ), 2 protein, 1.3 polyunsaturated fat

     So, eat generously and enjoy! 

     Can you add something to the list?

Resources:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/watermelon.html
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-watermelon-i9326